Donna Lee Krenzel, age 85, passed away on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Wichita County Health Center in Leoti, Kansas. Donna was born August 5, 1933 in Haven, Kansas, the daughter of Otto & Isabelle (Mount) Dierks. A resident of Wichita County, Kansas since 1936, she was a Farm Wife and Homemaker.
Donna was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Rebecca Lodge # 954, both in Leoti, Kansas. She was also a Charter and Lifetime member of the Wichita County Historical Society.
On May 25, 1951 she married Irvin Ray Krenzel at Tribune, Kansas. Irvin passed away on May 12, 1993 in Leoti, Kansas.
Donna’s surviving family includes:
Two sons and their spouses
Alan & Sharla Krenzel- Leoti, Kansas
Gary & Merret Krenzel- Leoti, Kansas
Two siblings-
Darrell & Pat Dierks- Cottonwood Falls, Arizona
Dorothy Clark- Hot Springs. Arkansas
Four Grandchildren
Dayna & Tate Hunter- Granger, Texas
Devon Krenzel & Mansu John- Olathe, Kansas
Jonathan Krenzel- Wichita, Kansas
Kayla &Brad Wills- Alexandria, Virginia
Two Great Grandchildren
Cason & Keldon Hunter
Her parents, husband, and a brother, Dale Dierks, precede her in death.
Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on June 3, 2019 Leoti Cemetery in Leoti, Kansas.
Memorials may be given to the Wichita County Amusement Assn or Leoti E.M.T.’s in care of :
Price & Sons Funeral Home; PO 161; Leoti, Kansas 67861
Michael Eugene Brown, 71, of Lenora, KS passed away on May 4, 2019 at his home. Michael was born to Ray E and Doris J (McKay) Brown on August 6, 1947 in Lincoln, NE. He grew up & went to school in Hastings, NE while also helping at the family business, Papa Ray’s Pizza. Michael entered the Navy (a family tradition) on August 28, 1964. He served on the USS Galveston from 1964-1970 touring in the Mediterranean.
On November 26, 1967 he married Dellene E. VanWaning in Fairbury, NE. They lived in San Diego, CA until Mike was honorably discharged from the Navy. They moved to Hastings and soon became proud parents of Kelly Kay and Scott Alan Brown.
Mike loved the outdoors and spent his time camping, hunting & fishing. The UPS man was Mikes’ favorite guy for many years, along with the employees at Cabelas who knew him when he walked in the door! He never lost his love for the outdoors; he taught his children and grandchildren how to hunt and fish, but also how to respect the land and water. He was also an avid birdwatcher, a trait he got from his mother, right up to the end.
His greatest loves were his wife, Dellene, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He would always have decoys or lures to give or “trade” with them when he visited. While his children were young, he was involved in their sports and he never missed a game or meet. He had many friends that he met along the way; the duck call guy that built calls for him, the guys that he bought his vehicles from; they all remembered him because of his ostentatious personality. You always knew when he entered a room from his booming voice and choice of words! He also liked to buy, sell and trade his hunting and fishing equipment so you never knew what he would have. His children called his place “Mike Pro” and for good reason! The garage was the hunting section, the laundry room was the clothing section; inside were the duck and turkey call section, the fly section, fishing section and on and on! He once had enough headlamps for all the little kids in the family to play hide and seek in the dark!
Mike worked for Rural Telephone for many years and retired in 2013. While there, he gained life-long friends who were always included in his stories that he liked to tell. Mike also made friends with the kids in his town, often sitting around the fire telling them hunting or fishing stories and teaching them how to blow on a duck call.
He is survived by his father, Ray Brown, Hastings, NE; sister, Linda Andersen of Gladstone, MO; brother, David Brown of Hastings, NE; daughter, Kelly (James Fawcett) Norton; son, Scott (Kimberly) Neodesha, KS; 10 grandchildren, Sheyenne and Sheridan Dillehay, Kayla (Kyle) Wingate, Gabriella Guardiola and fiancé Blake Wensman, Megan Norwood, Matthew and Bailey Brown, Michael, Alyssa and Matthew Fawcett; and 5 great-grandchildren, Lincoln, Kinsley, Ruger, Deklan and Rosy.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Doris Brown; wife, Dellene Austerman and infant grandson, Zachary Brown.
Memorial service will be Friday, May 10, 2019 at 11:00 AM at the Jennings Senior Center in Jennings, Kansas. A private inurnment for the family will be held at a later date.
The family requests you bring your favorite dish for a potluck to celebrate Rope’s life with his friends and family. Memorials are suggested to the Mike Brown Memorial Fund to help with funeral expenses.
In the waning days of the 2019 session, the conservative Republicans controlling the Kansas Legislature made one thing clear to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and her allies: They were ready for a fight against Medicaid expansion.
Republican Majority Leader Rep. Dan Hawkins (left) and Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman worked the phones to secure enough votes to end a standoff over Medicaid expansion and pass the budget to end the legislative session.. STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
The issue commanded the four-month session, which ended in the wee hours Sunday. The session was the first with the new Democratic governor in office, which gave people who wanted to expand health coverage for thousands of low-income Kansans the energy to push hard in the final days. Their efforts ultimately failed.
“Medicaid expansion has characterized this entire session,” Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Bishop said during a final budget vote. “It has run up against the will of the minority to thwart the will of the majority.”
Conservative leaders in the House convinced enough Republican moderates to fold to break a logjam over expansion and approve a budget that boosts funding for roads, prisons, and education.
“Our ultimate goal was to make sure that we funded core government and that our schools were funded,” Republican House Speaker Ron Ryckman said.
Everyone involved agreed this wasn’t the last word on Medicaid expansion. House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer said “we gave it our best fight, and we’re going to keep fighting.” Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, who refused to debate it this year, promised to prepare a “much more robust” bill before the 2020 legislative session starts in January.
But that’s all in the future.
While Medicaid expansion stalled, other initiatives advanced and faltered in 2019.
What lawmakers did.
Increased school funding, yet again.
Lawmakers handed Gov. Laura Kelly a victory by approving her K-12 education proposal with a bipartisan majority.
Kelly based her plan on calculations from the Kansas Department of Education, adding about $90 million per year to account for inflation. The Kansas Supreme Court must sign off; if they do, it will end a long-running lawsuit over education spending.
But the plaintiffs in the Gannon case say the state got the math wrong, and that the Legislature will have to put in more still to make school funding adequate. Oral arguments are on May 9.
Gave businesses and itemizers a tax break.
In late March, Kelly quashed tax-relief legislation that was crafted in response to changes at the federal level. Lawmakers successfully tried again at the end of the session, passing a more modest bill.
It will save Kansas residents used to itemizing from paying more in state taxes after changes to the federal tax code. And it will exempt corporations’ overseas income from state taxes.
That’s if the governor doesn’t veto this bill too. She’s called the measure hasty and wants to instead study the Kansas tax code over the coming year.
Lawmakers tried to make it more palatable by including provisions to cut the sales tax on food, which Kansas taxes more than almost any other state. Kansas would collect sales taxes from more online retailers to make up for it.
Let the state Farm Bureau market health coverage.
Citing the rising cost of health care, the Kansas Farm Bureau lobbied lawmakers to market coverage exempt from state insurance regulations and the rules put in place by the federal Affordable Care Act.
Critics said the group shouldn’t be allowed to sidestep insurance regulations, especially when it comes to guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions. But the farm bureau argued the flexibility will create new, cheaper health plans that their members could afford.
The governor expressed reservations, but let the bill become law without her signature, in part to encourage a compromise on Medicaid expansion.
Approved more money for prisons, with a twist.
Kelly offered a last-minute budget amendment to boost corrections spending by about $30 million. The administration is hoping that raising officers’ pay and moving some inmates to county jails and private prisons will ease the pressure on the state prison system.
Lawmakers ultimately included more than $25 million, but there’s a catch: the money’s being routed through the state Finance Council. It’s made up of the governor and leaders of both parties, who all will decide on actually doling out the funding.
Took baby steps toward fixing the child welfare system.
The across-the-board consensus to start off the session was that children dying on the state’s watch and kids sleeping in offices of overwhelmed foster care contractors constituted an emergency.
Lawmakers agreed to add staff for the Department for Children and Families to lighten the load, including more child abuse investigators. They also agreed to funding programs that will allow the state to get federal money to help struggling families stay together.
But most recommendations of the state’s child welfare system task force remained on the shelf, things like improving foster home recruitment and strengthening safety-net programs like Medicaid. And lawmakers cut support for child welfare oversight from the final budget.
Restored some funding for state colleges and universities.
Kelly wanted $8.9 million to fully restore what lawmakers had cut during the state’s lean financial years.
Lawmakers agreed and added more, boosting spending on colleges and universities by almost $16 million, plus about $4 million in additional funding targeted at specific programs, including a technical education initiative.
Overall, it’s still less than the $50 million the Board of Regents had requested, but the regents said they were thankful for what they got.
Got some highway projects rolling again.
Lawmakers routed extra money to speed up projects in the 10-year transportation plan, T-WORKS, that had been delayed due to the post-2012 tax-cut budget crunch.
A task force recommended finishing the delayed highway projects, and lawmakers agreed to pursue that before working a on a new long-term transportation plan.
Made it easier to vote, and get your ballot counted.
Another piece of the legislation allows voters to fix problems with the signature on their mail-in ballot. In some cases, ballots have been thrown out because county officials said the signature didn’t closely match an example on file. The new law will require county officials to try to contact voters and let them correct their ballot before all the votes are tallied.
The Legislature did not, however, revoke the Kansas secretary of state’s authority to prosecute election crimes. The move had broad support, and the endorsement of current Secretary of State Scott Schwab, but lawmakers ran out of time.
Allowed medical use of CBD oil containing some THC.
THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana still isn’t legal in Kansas. But lawmakers made allowances for having CBD oil with THC in it for medicinal purposes.
Patients and caregivers who have a doctor’s note will be protected against prosecution and child welfare proceedings. Republican Rep. Eric Smith, a sheriff’s deputy, said such a letter won’t necessarily protect against being arrested for possessing CBD oil containing THC.
What lawmakers did not do.
Amend the state constitution to ban abortion.
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled last month that the state constitution guarantees a right to abortion. Abortion opponents say that could knock down many of the restrictions that have been added to state law in recent years.
The court’s long-awaited decision amplified calls for a constitutional amendment, which would need two-thirds support in the Legislature to get on the ballot for a public vote. Abortion opponents are waiting until 2020 to make their push for that.
Legalize sports betting.
It has bipartisan support, but legalizing betting on sports turned out not to be a slam dunk. While eight states already have done it and two others look to be in line, Kansas lawmakers got hung up on who should run gambling, how much to tax betting and other nitty-gritty details. The issue will likely come back in the 2020 session.
Refinance the state pension program.
Kelly wanted to stretch out repayment of state pension debt to free up money for other priorities, like highways and Medicaid expansion. But the proposed refinancing might have increased overall costs by $7 billion. Lawmakers scoffed and chose not to pursue it. Still, the reamortization idea could rerturn in the coming years.
Expand Medicaid.
Democrats and moderate Republicans maneuvered to get Medicaid expansion passed in the House in March. With the goal of inducing a debate on expansion in the Senate, the coalition blocked the budget twice as the session wound down.
Despite the bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate, and popular support, Republican leaders held off the last-ditch efforts.
Fort Hays State University announced Monday the selection of Dr. Jill Arensdorf, current chair of the university’s Department of Leadership Studies, as its next provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“I am excited for Dr. Arensdorf to take on the challenge of leading our academic enterprise during this pivotal time in our university’s history,” said President Tisa Mason. “Her roots are in western Kansas – Hill City – so she has a firm grasp on the value of this institution to the people we serve, in Kansas and across the globe. Jill is a rising executive in higher education and has earned respect across our campus for her thoughtful, detail-oriented and innovative leadership.”
Arensdorf expressed her thanks to all those involved in the provost search.
“I want to thank the search committee and the university community for their participation in this process,” she said. “The time and energy that each of you shared not only with me, but with all candidates through the process was incredible. Thank you to President Mason and the entire university community for giving me this opportunity. I also thank my family for being incredibly supportive through this journey.”
Arensdorf holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in agricultural education and leadership from Texas A&M University, and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State.
“Fort Hays State University is a phenomenal university that has given me and so many others opportunities to learn and grow,” said Arensdorf. “When I took an instructor position 17 years ago, I had no idea how much the university and community would impact me in such a positive way. I am so grateful and excited to serve as FHSU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs and look forward to working collaboratively with others to diligently and faithfully carry forward the mission of Fort Hays State University across the world.”
Arensdorf’s research interests include youth leadership development, service-learning, civic engagement, program assessment and leadership behaviors. She has published numerous articles on the effects of service-learning on the development of youth leadership skills and the transfer of skills to the workplace. She has been active in the civic engagement efforts at FHSU as well as co-coordinating a learning community at FHSU, L3-Live. Learn. Lead. She recently served as president of the Association of Leadership Educators.
In the spring of 2012, she received the Pilot Award as the year’s outstanding faculty member. In the spring of 2005, she received the Navigator Award as the outstanding student advisor. She is actively involved in community leadership as an executive board member and a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County and on the FHSU Foundation Board of Trustees.
Later this summer, Arensdorf will replace Interim Provost Dr. Jeffrey Briggs, who has served in this role since 2017. “I am immensely grateful to Dr. Briggs,” said President Mason. “His leadership has been essential to keeping this university moving forward through a period of dramatic change on our campus.”
The search committee was led by Deborah Ludwig, dean of Forsyth Library.
“In terms of the sheer effort and the collaborative, spirited discussion required by the search process, I was privileged to work with a phenomenal team of people,” said Ludwig.
The search committee included 16 people, appointed by President Mason, with FHSU faculty from Hays and China, staff from all divisions, and a representative from the Student Government Association. The committee worked from January to early May to screen a pool of over 40 candidates, conduct intermediate online interviews, and to bring finalists to campus for three-day meetings with all constituents.
Open forums were video recorded and an anonymous stakeholder survey was used to ensure a complete review of the potential candidates. In addition to a final committee report, each individual committee member provided the president with an extensive personal report of the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.
Elm Street between 5th and 6th Street will be closed to traffic during business hours Tuesday and Wednesday.
M&D Excavating will be removing trees associated with the planned reconstruction of Elm Street later this summer.
Elm Street is part of the city’s upcoming major street reconstruction project that also includes sections of Ash Street and 4th Street near Fort Hays State University’s Lewis Field Stadium.
According to Project Manager John Braun, the work is budgeted for $1.64 million in the 2019 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and will include upgrade and replacement of storm sewer inlets, the old water main from four inches to eight inches as well as new water services along Ash Street. Pavement will be replaced along with any failed curb and gutter, and sidewalks and/or ADA curb ramp issues will be fixed. The total project length is approximately 3,100 linear feet.
FHSU requested the reconfiguration of parking along a portion of Elm Street south of Lewis Drive. The cost to add approximately 15 angled spaces along the west side of Elm Street will be reimbursed by FHSU.
Morgan Brothers Construction, La Crosse, was awarded the $1,338,054.93 low bid for the reconstruction project. The current schedule calls for construction to begin in May and be completed within 180 calendar days, with the Elm Street portion of the project to be completed prior to Aug. 20.
Hays Mayor Henry Schwaller, who is a business instructor at FHSU, noted classes start Aug. 19 and students will likely begin moving in Aug. 14.
“They’ll need that road (Elm Street) to get to the dorms. So do we have five days wiggle room?” Schwaller asked Braun.
“I think so,” Braun responded.
Although Elm will be entirely shut down, there will still be a way for traffic to access campus.
“There’s a paved alley that is aligned up across from the parking lot behind the Comeau Catholic Campus Center and the United Methodist Campus Center. …which will help with the efficiency.
“We do anticipate that part being done well in advance of the deadline.”
The entire project is scheduled to be done in November.
A spotless 4-0 record over a three day stretch has given Hays High the title of Diamond Classic champions for 2019. The round robin tournament hosted by the Indians also featured Goddard-Eisenhower, Great Bend, Salina Central and Manhattan.
Hays wrapped up the tournament and championship with a 9-6 win over Goddard-Eisenhower on Saturday. The Indians took a 3-0 run in the bottom of the first inning only to give the runs back in the top of the second. Hays tied the game in the bottom of the second and then trailed 5-4 entering the fourth. Hays added three more runs in the fourth and two in the sixth to win 9-6.
Willie Sennett took the victory pitching in relief of starter Dylan Dreiling. Brock Lummus drove in three runs and hit his second home run of the tournament. Lummus was named MVP of the tournament. Four of his five hits over the three days went for extra bases including two home runs, a double and a triple. He drove in seven runs over the four days including the only run in a 1-0 win over Manhattan on Thursday. He hit a home run in the game for the only run of the contest.
Also named to the all-tournament team for Hays was Willie Sennett, Trey Riggs, Palmer Hutchison and Cody Petersen.
Hays moves to 17-1 on the season and will end the regular season on Tuesday at Ulysses. The Indians have secured at least the two seed at next week’s Regional Tournament. Bishop Carroll leads the standings in the west half of 5A at 17-0. All other teams in the west have at least four losses.
The remainder of the all tournament team included:
Aiden Proctor – Manhattan
Jackson Walker – Manhattan
Zac Cox – Manhattan
Ethan Crotty – Eisenhower
Wade Reynolds – Eisenhower
Collin Mackey – Eisenhower
Dakota Hogan – Salina Central
Brogen Richardson – Salina Central
Colin Hall – Great Bend
Koy Brack – Great Bend
BARTON COUNTY — Many residents in Barton County are cleaning up after damage from Sunday night’s storm.
Storm damage at Barton County Feeders -photos Barton Co. Sheriff
Just after 5p.m., severe weather and several strong storm cells developed at various locations in Barton County, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
A large funnel cloud was observed just north of the city of Great Bend but did not develop into a tornado. At the same time, funnel clouds were observed west of Ellinwood moving south east.
Sheriff’s deputies went to the area and discovered damage near the intersection of SE 30 Road and Southeast 120 Avenue.
Several structures at Barton County Feeders were damaged as well as other agricultural buildings and equipment in the area.
Powerlines were also destroyed. Some residences in the southeast part of Barton County remained without power Monday morning. It appears a tornado was on the ground for proximally 2 miles. Golf ball size hail was also observed in the area. No injuries were reported according to Bellendir.
WICHITA – Musical icon George Strait will once again take the stage at INTRUST Bank Arena on Friday, Jan. 24, for Visit Wichita Presents Strait To Oz, an exclusive one night engagement. Tickets for Visit Wichita Presents George Strait: Strait To Oz will go on sale Friday, May 17, through Select-A-Seat.
The King of Country’s January concert is the first show announced for INTRUST Bank Arena’s 10th Anniversary Concert Series in 2020, a celebration that will feature multiple artists and events throughout the year to commemorate the Arena’s 10th Anniversary. Visit Wichita Presents Strait To Oz will be one of Strait’s rare live performances in 2020. INTRUST Bank Arena’s first concert took place on January 9, 2010, and featured country superstar Brad Paisley.
“We can’t think of a better way to kick off our 10th Anniversary in January than by welcoming the King of Country, George Strait, back to Wichita,” said AJ Boleski, SMG General Manager at INTRUST Bank Arena. “This concert wouldn’t be possible without the support of Visit Wichita and we are very grateful for their partnership and willingness to share in our vision for bringing Strait To Oz to INTRUST Bank Arena.”
George Strait’s last appearance at INTRUST Bank Arena in April 2014 was part of his final two-year tour, The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. The sold-out concert held the Arena’s single event attendance record for nearly five years and had a significant economic impact of $3.2 million for Wichita.
Strait recently released his brand-new album Honky Tonk Time Machine Friday, March 29 on MCA Nashville, debuting as his record-extending 27th No. 1 Billboard Country album. Comprised of 12 original titles plus Strait’s version of the Johnny Paycheck classic “Old Violin,” Honky Tonk Time Machine marks an incredible 30th career studio album for Strait. Strait, who produced the album alongside Chuck Ainlay, wrote eight of the 13 tracks including “Sing One with Willie” featuring Willie Nelson that the pair happily debuted at a recent Nashville show marking the first time the two country icons have ever shared the stage.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 17, at 10:00 a.m. and will be available online at www.selectaseat.com, by phone at 855-755-SEAT (7328) or in person at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena. For an opportunity to purchase tickets during a presale period beginning Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 a.m., fans are encouraged to sign up for INTRUST Bank Arena’s Newsletter at www.intrustbankarena.com. American Express® Cardmembers can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Friday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. through Thursday, May 16, at 10:00 p.m. Additionally, George Strait’s Fan Club will have an exclusive presale opportunity.
Water Resources Dir. Jeff Crispin hands departing city commissioner James Meier his name plate.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Last week was the last Hays city commission meeting for James Meier. He is moving to Wichita to become the in-patient pharmacy manager at Saint Francis hospital.
Meier was given a plaque and key to the city in thanks for his service as a commissioner.
“I have really appreciated serving with all of you and previous commissioners too,” Meier said, “and also the city staff. They’re the folks that don’t get a lot of attention but they really do make all of us look really good. They’re very thoughtful.”
The city commission will appoint a replacement to Meier’s unexpired term at their Thursday meeting. Hays Mayor Henry Schwaller says several interested residents have contacted commissioners.
Also departing is Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood whose last day with the city was April 26. Wood is the new deputy city manager for Salina.
City Manager Toby Dougherty says no selection process is yet in motion for Wood’s replacement.
“The position will be vacant for a period until I determine it’s time to open the position up publicly, and at this time I haven’t determined when that’s going to be.”
LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the newest royal baby in Britain (all times local):
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are the proud parents of a new baby boy.
The baby, who has not yet been named, is seventh in line for the British throne and is Queen Elizabeth II’s eighth great-grandchild.
It is the first child for Harry and Meghan, who married a year ago. Harry spoke before cameras on Monday afternoon.
The duchess is a 37-year-old retired American actress formerly known as Meghan Markle. The 34-year-old prince is the son of Prince Charles — next in line for the throne — and Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997.
Harry has long spoken of his desire to start a family.
Donna Lee Krenzel, age 85, passed away on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Wichita County Health Center in Leoti, Kansas. Donna was born August 5, 1933 in Haven, Kansas, the daughter of Otto & Isabelle (Mount) Dierks. A resident of Wichita County, Kansas since 1936, she was a Farm Wife and Homemaker.
